


The American and The Northerner

by moonlitdamie



Category: The Haunting of Bly Manor (TV)
Genre: F/F, Minor Character Death, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-12
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-16 09:07:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,763
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29947683
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moonlitdamie/pseuds/moonlitdamie
Summary: "You know when you just see someone and you instantly have the urge to plan out your entire life together despite the fact you don’t know anything about them? Or you just want to spend time with them, getting to know them because there’s some type of special aura about them? That's how Jamie Taylor felt when she first laid eyes on the blonde American."Jamie moves to America and ends up falling for the pretty blonde teacher who works at the same school that she gardens for. (Set in the same time period, 1980's, as the show)
Relationships: Dani Clayton & Jamie
Kudos: 4





	The American and The Northerner

**Author's Note:**

> Hi so I wanted to give this a go, I realise I'm definitely not the most amazing at it and I'm also aware that it definitely won't be the best Damie pic out there. However, I've really enjoyed writing this chapter and if people do seem to enjoy it then I'll carry on :)

**The Northerner**

You know when you just see someone and you instantly have the urge to plan out your entire life together despite the fact you don’t know anything about them? Or you just want to spend time with them, getting to know them because there’s some type of special aura about them? That's how Jamie Taylor felt when she first laid eyes on the blonde American. She had recently been hired as a gardener for a small elementary school in Iowa and was midway through her lunch break when she saw the young teacher in the, quite empty, teachers room. No words were exchanged between the women, only small friendly smiles. But the second Jamie’s green eyes made contact with those bright blue eyes she knew she was falling and there was nothing she could do about it. Now Jamie didn’t normally believe in love at first sight, she found it cliche, a load of bullshit if she was being perfectly honest but there was something about this young woman that instantly had the gardener questioning everything she thought she knew about love. Jamie had given up on love, or she assumed she had, especially since her last relationship had her doing time in prison. Taking the blame for a crime her former partner committed. Reflecting back on that relationship she knew that that was the wrong type of love, love that she gave but never received, love that wasn’t love at all but rather a type of possession. Maybe this woman would be different though. 

As the days progressed the brunette soon found the young woman to be taking up the majority of the space within her mind, no matter what she was doing she couldn’t stop herself from thinking about her. _Probably married, probably not even into women_ she thought to herself but the pretty teacher wouldn’t depart from her thoughts. Even if her assumptions were correct, she still needed a friend especially since she’s moved halfway across the world to a small town where she’s mainly surrounded by strangers. Despite the fact that she has been living in America for a little over a month now, she hasn’t made much of an effort to find any companions. It really doesn’t bother her too much, she isn’t much of a people person anyway and she really doesn’t mind her own company. She hasn’t bothered with any of her neighbours either, not that she has any interest in doing so anyway. Occasionally she will make small talk with the little old lady, Mabel, who lives in the apartment next to her. She goes round a few times a week to help the lady take care of the few plants she had, Mabel realised Jamie had experience with plants and had asked her to help bring her own plants back to life and of course the gardener was happy to help. However, this woman was very much like Jamie and preferred to keep herself to herself so Jamie’s visits to Mabel’s place aren’t any longer than they need to be, which also works out well for Jamie. 

There’s also a young-ish couple who live on the same floor as Jamie and Mabel, who Jamie had met when she first moved in and had been fairly surprised to find out they were also from the UK. A scottish man, who the brunette has had the misfortune of bumping into numerous times, completely overflowing with arrogance and thinks he’s so much better than everyone else. _Twat,_ the brunette had mentally nicknamed him when she had her first encounter with him. Quite frankly Jamie cannot stand the man, she thinks he’s repulsive and tries to avoid him whenever she can but it's easier said than done. Especially when they both live in the same apartment complex, on the same floor. Since the gardener spends most of her time trying to avoid him, she hasn’t had an opportunity to speak to his partner to make much of an opinion on her but from what she could tell was that she is nice, too nice to be stuck with a cocky man like that but Jamie knew better than to get herself involved in other people’s relationships. 

  
  


It’s a week or so before the two women cross paths again, a week that seemed to be the longest week of Jamie’s life. The school day had finished a good few hours ago. It was getting close to 6pm yet Jamie had decided to stay behind so she could finish designing the new garden she was working on for the school. The gardener had recently found herself staying behind more often then she had to, she would tell herself that it was because of her strong work ethic but she knew deep down that wasn’t the case. She knew she was secretly hoping to see the woman she had fallen so deeply for despite the fact she didn’t even know her name. Luck, for once, just seemed to be on Jamie's side today as while the brunette was busy jotting down ideas, the blonde woman strolled straight into the teachers lounge. The american smiled politely at the northerner as she made her way across the room, which made Jamie’s stomach flip. _God Jamie what have you gotten yourself into?_ All of the brunette’s attention was on the teacher as she observed her make a, quite questionable, cup of coffee.

“Blimey, if all Americans make coffee like that then god help us.” The sound of Jamie’s voice, which was laced with a thick northern accent, surprised the blonde. Who let out a small, nervous laugh in response. 

“I thought tea was more your thing?” She asked, raising her eyebrows. The brunette nodded a little in agreement, she couldn’t disagree, she loved a good cuppa. 

“Wouldn’t turn down a good cuppa I suppose.” 

“Don’t think you would want me to make you one then, the only tea I’m familiar with comes in a pitcher and is served with ice cubes and a few slices of lemon,” the American admits as she slowly makes her way over to where the gardener is sitting. 

“I think I’ll pass on that.” Jamie cannot tear her eyes away from the woman, she’s pretty, maybe a little bit too pretty. Her golden hair, which falls delicately down her back, is illuminated by the golden sunlight that is beaming through the window from the current sunset. The sunlight also makes her eyes sparkle, they are big and bright and blue, very blue. And her smile? Her smile could brighten up an entire room. _Fuck sake Jamie, you’ve done it havent you?_ After years of being hurt and mistreated by others she began closing herself off to other people, she swore she wouldn’t let another person get close to her and have the satisfaction of hurting her. Decided it was for the best. Yet, in walks a woman who is pretty much a gift from god, an entire blessing, and Jamie has fallen ten times harder than she ever has done before. And she hates herself for it. 

“Do you often stay behind this late?” The blonde asks as she sits down near the gardener. Jamie bites the inside of her cheek, 

“Sometimes, not like I can take care of a whole garden from my flat.” _No, not often. Only still here because I was hoping I would bump into you again._ “How about yourself, is it often you stay behind this late?” _She’s a teacher Jamie, this isn’t late for her._

“I mean this is just my usual routine, there's work to mark and papers to grade. You also have the kids that sometimes end up falling behind and they need a little bit of help getting back on their feet so I’m always happy to stay behind and help them. I don’t mind it really, they’re worth it.” The gardener carefully listens to the teacher as she speaks so passionately about her role, most teachers would go insane having to tolerate a class of nearly thirty kids, five days a week but the teacher sat in front of her seems so relaxed, so calm. It’s almost as if she was made for this job role. _She’s like the modern day version of Mary Poppins._

“My fiancée hates it,” the blonde begins to add. The word “fiancée” makes Jamie’s heart drop, _don’t be so ridiculous, you should have expected this._ She has no idea why she is so surprised, of course there’s going to be people lining up to be with someone like the woman sitting no more than a few feet away from her. 

“He’d prefer it if I would just stay home. He wants me to let him take care of me,” the blonde sighs. “He doesn’t seem to understand that this is what I’m meant to do, I have a gift to teach and take care of these kids and I would be so stupid to throw it all away just because he thinks women like me are better off at home.” 

_He sounds like a fucking twat._ Is what she wants to say but the brunette manages to restrain herself from voicing that thought out loud. “Poppins, if you throw away that gift you have just to make some man happy then you’re seriously insane. No one like you is better off stuck at home.” 

The blonde chuckles, “noted.”

“I’m serious, I’ll be more than happy to sort him out for you if you need me to.” The gardener gives the teacher a soft, friendly smile, a smile that the teacher is quick to return.

“I appreciate it, honestly.” 

The two women sit in silence, the teacher finishes drinking her coffee whilst the gardener finishes her ideas for the school garden. The silence that surrounds them isn’t an awkward silence but rather an easy, comfortable silence. A sense of calmness, almost as if the two women were already familiar with each other's company. While the gardener is getting on with her work, she finds herself glancing up at the teacher every so often only to find that the teacher is gazing back at her, carefully watching her jot down her ideas. 

“What brings you to America anyway?” The teacher questions, breaking the silence between them. The gardener turns to the blonde, 

“Guess my strong northern accent gave it away, huh?” 

“Just a bit.” 

Shrugging her shoulders the gardener relaxes back into her chair, “dunno, just fancied a change of scenery.” And while that is partly true, the thought of going into detail and unloading all of her baggage onto the woman she had just met didn’t sit well with her. No matter how much she liked this woman, she still struggled to trust people and she could also clearly tell that this woman had her own personal issues to deal with. In all fairness it would be quite unfair for both of them. 

The blonde raises an eyebrow, “Iowa, out of all places?” 

Jamie lets out a simple “mhm” in reply. She doesn’t expand on her reason why because to put it simply, she doesn’t have one. 

_Jamie knelt down onto the hard wooden floor of the small living room in her one bedroomed flat. Fleetwood Mac’s “Rumors” was playing on the record player, drowning out the noise coming from the loud townsfolk in the pub below. Stretched out in front of her was a large map of the United States of America, beside her was a book which was filled with information about each one of the 50 states and also a pen and notepad so she could note things down. The brunette was completely clueless about where she wanted to go, the only thing she was really sure about was escaping the hell hole of a town she lived in in Lancashire and also escaping her past which had her feeling like she was trapped here. She desired a whole new adventure, new people and new beginnings. Eager green eyes scanned the large map for at least five minutes, the young woman found herself to be a little overwhelmed by the countless options she had as San francisco, Florida and California were just a few of the states that sparked an interest in her. Jamie ran her finger over the map, going from the west coast to the east, mumbling the names of each state as she went along, “California, Nevada, Idaho.” The closer she got to the east coast, the more she felt her finger being pulled towards a state wedged in between Nebraska and Illinois. It was like there was some magnetic force pulling her towards it. “Iowa,” the brunette whispered quietly to herself, she repeated the name two, three, four times, the name rolling off her tongue with such ease. She had no clue why but she felt like it was meant to be, it was almost as if there was a little voice in her head telling her to go._

It’s not long before the catch ups over cups of coffee, which Jamie insists on being the one who makes the coffee, become a weekly occurrence for the gardener and the teacher. Sometimes they would chat for what felt like hours, other times they just sat and enjoyed each other's company. Which was something they both found rather relaxing. Most weeks these catch ups would take place in the teachers lounge, the blonde would bring in work she needed to finish marking whilst the gardener would just sit with her and keep her company. However occasionally, there would be work that the gardener needed to get on with outside so the teacher would join her outside. Although the brunette was crushed knowing that the blonde was already engaged, she was able to push her feelings for the blonde away for the time being. Deep down she knew that wasn’t the healthiest of choices especially considering her past but still, she decided to ignore it. 

The gardener found the teacher to be great company, she maybe even considered her a friend. Honestly, the northerner was just grateful she had finally been able to find someone who she could actually class as a friend. Not just some old woman who would only call on her when her plants were beginning to die, or an arrogant man who lived a few doors down. She had someone who she could actually rely on, someone who she didn’t know she had been needing until now. It was only a month and a half into their weekly coffee sessions when the brunette finally found out that her companion’s real name was actually Danielle, although she much preferred to go by Dani. Jamie had been too embarrassed to admit she actually had no clue what the blonde’s name was and resorted in calling her the nickname she had picked out for her, _poppins,_ instead. The gardener could tell the blonde didn’t mind the nickname by the way the corners of her lips would turn upwards into a soft smile whenever she called her it. 

  
Recently the gardener had been helping out the teacher with her science lesson plans. The fourth graders were currently learning about plants, the different types of plants, how they grow and the life cycle of a plant. When Dani had mentioned this to Jamie, Jamie was more than happy to volunteer to help Dani with the topic and come and give the class mini talks each lesson. The teacher had gladly accepted the offer. For tomorrow's lesson both the teacher and the gardener had decided to switch things up and take the children outside so they could plant their own plants in the garden Jamie was currently working on. Seeing as it was going to be the first lesson of the day, the gardener had decided it would be best to set up as much as she could the night before. Which wasn’t the easiest of things when early December meant it being virtually pitch black before 5pm and the only source of light she had was her torch. Soon enough the gardener was done and was clearly ready to go home after, what had felt to be, the most exhausting day. _Kids can run you ragged, even if you’re not directly in charge of them._ She made her way back to the teachers lounge so she could collect her belongings and finally finish for the day, though the last thing she was expecting to see when she walked in was a clearly distraught Dani with a tear stained face.


End file.
